Guest Post- How to Be an Encourager

Welcome Company Girls! Thanks for tuning in..today I am featuring a guest post by Sheila Wray Gregoire of To Love, Honour and Vacuum…she rocks! Enjoy and be sure to check out the post below to find out how to get your copy of Living Life with Strings Attached, released March 1st!

There are some days when I’ve just about had it. Recently, when baby-sitting a friend’s two preschoolers, I realized how much one can forget in the six short years since both of my girls have been out of diapers. On that day, the three-year-old got into the paints when I wasn’t looking. I discovered him sitting atop the kitchen table, making interesting designs on his clothes. After taking one look at him, I decided he was too far gone to interfere with now. I just gave him some paper and figured at least this would keep him busy for a while. And it did. It kept him so busy he didn’t realize when he had to pee. My table got the worst of it.

But even my days with my own children can be disheartening. I really enjoy cooking, and sometimes I make these sumptuous meals, lay out the silver, sit down with excitement, and watch the kids’ faces drop. Even though they know it’s definitely not in their best interests to voice any complaints, they sit, dejected, and suffer in silence as they look at all the yucky green stuff I sprinkled on the chicken. I want to enjoy the meal, but the whole atmosphere is ruined. Don’t they see what I went through for them?

Some of us have jobs that make us feel that way, too. If we work at a place where morale is lower than a double-jointed limbo dancer, everybody is grumpy.

We Need Encouragement

The problem, whether at our jobs or at home, is not necessarily that the work we do is miserable, or that the job is too hard. It’s that nobody appreciates our efforts. Attention only comes our way when something goes wrong.

Living that kind of life, with no positive feedback, can be like living a slow death. Even when we have pursued a life which we feel God has called us to-a career we feel proud of, a family we’re raising that we love, a business we’re starting-that inner sense of motivation, satisfaction or vocation only takes you so far. We are social beings, and we’re made to need positive human interaction.

That’s what poisons so many marriages, and causes employers to lose the best people. These bad feelings, even if they don’t stem from huge issues, can start to add up as, brick by brick, we build up walls between us. Soon there doesn’t seem anything left to hold us together.

Acknowledge What Other People Do

How can we stop this impending death? My grandfather, after every meal, would always smile and thank my grandmother. “Mother,” he would say, “that was wonderful,” whether it was or not. He was acknowledging the effort and the love that she put into that meal. When we don’t acknowledge that love, too often it flickers out.

Don’t Wait for Them to Make That First Step

Much as we may know this kind of appreciation is vital, though, when we’re feeling unappreciated, it’s really hard to appreciate anybody else. We’re each waiting for the other person to thank us, before it even occurs to us to acknowledge them. It’s strange how we’re often the most critical with those we’re the closest to. We can be kind to strangers, but are we kind to those who really matter? And when our lives feel like endless to-do lists, taking time to encourage someone seems overwhelming. Why should they need it? I’m keeping up with all my work without anybody fawning all over me. Why should I fawn all over anybody else?

That’s a dangerous, though understandable, attitude. Many of us are tired. After that day with four kids, I certainly was. But think about those around you. Why not break through that wall today, before it becomes too high to climb over? You may think you’re tired now, but don’t sacrifice the people who comprise your support system. Take my advice: whether you’re at home or at work, stop reading, smile at the person nearest you, and say thank you for something. You’ll be tearing down bricks, and that’s ever so much better than piling them up.

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3 thoughts on “Guest Post- How to Be an Encourager”

How true!!! Appreciation is so important. My husband thanks me for dinner every night, and evne though I just smile and tell him I’m glad he enjoyed it, I sing inside. It’s really something to feel like the work you’re doing means something to someone. And I always try to give that back to him in any way I can – but I can always use a reminder like this! Thank you!

What a beautiful post and something that we all need to be reminded of, appreciation. I’m blessed to be married to a man that lets me know often how much he appreciates me but I could probably do a better job in letting him know my appreciation of him. And, of course, there are many others in my life that this post has reminded me of too. Thanks so much!